The rat race doesn’t make you think about your future. It’s time to escape the rat race and take control of your lives! Keep reading to learn how to escape the rat race in 2022!
Introduction
So, you just realized that you’ve become (consciously or unconsciously) part of a rat race, that is potentially leading you to a life brimming with misery and disappointment.
You have realized that life is just not about living paycheck to paycheck in a toxic work environment for over 30 years! Well, not all people come to this realization, but you did, and it’s time to do something about it.
To help you take action, we have shortlisted some of the best ways you can quit the rat race once and for all. Let’s not waste any more time and get right into the content, shall we?
What is a rat race?
We all have a work-life.
However, a vast majority of the people trade their time for money to make their work-life work. They are part of an exhaustive weekly routine that sucks the life out of them, slowly but surely.
This is what we all call ‘The Rat Race,’ where people in the race often serve business owners that provide them with minimum financial reward in return for their intensive hard work. No wonder people want to quit the rat race and start something that they can truly call theirs and make money out of it!
Why is it important to escape the rat race?
Since billions of people are in the rat race, so they must have good reasons, right?
Well, the reasons are quite limited. Such people are living paycheck to paycheck and are making enough money to serve their needs.
They are spending a huge chunk of their lives just to make ends meet. People in the rat race fail to maintain an adequate work-life-balance while working for people that will not think twice before replacing them.
- A sweeping majority of the people living on this planet live on a salary that has to pay for groceries, utilities, property taxes, weddings, funerals, birthday parties, education, and more expenses. Almost everyone has this never-ending list of expenses, but only a few make enough money to check the list off.
- Spending 40-50 hours a week for 30-40 years of your life working doesn’t make much sense. But we all keep doing it. Indeed, it is better to spend that time creating something meaningful — that gives you a ‘why’ to get out of bed. But, the comfort of regular paychecks stops us from pursuing our passions. Quitting the rat race gives you the opportunity to choose when to work and when to play.
- Slavishness destroys the human spirit to create, innovate, and flourish. But, we give that no heed and keep working for others. The rat race makes us sacrifice our peace, health, and relationships just to make our bosses happy. You get up and are in a hurry to reach the office. You work as a good employee for 7-8 hours and then head home only to do this over again tomorrow. You have become a slave to a routine you never wanted in the first place.
Three things you should always remember
Before we discuss the ways you can quit the rat race, we want you to consider a few things related to life. These three realizations will make you think twice before heading back to the office tomorrow.
● Life is really very short.
No matter where you are in life, thinking back at it always makes you realize that life was a roller coaster ride that lasted for a short while. Every passing year seems to go away quicker. Not just that, there is no guarantee in life — disaster might happen, and you could lose your life! So, don’t waste your life on the rat race.
● You are not getting any younger.
So, you earn a lot of money running the race. Well, can you buy time with it? Can you buy the time you spend working for others with the money they pay you? Certainly not. You are not spending your time wisely by getting good at the rat race. Time is the most valuable currency you have. Spend it wisely.
● We don’t need lots of money.
Indeed, you need a certain amount of money to survive. But, it is so easy to get sucked into the habit of spending time to earn the money you don’t necessarily need. Quitting the rat race will result in a significant pay cut. So, be ready to evolve your relationship with money. You’ll realize that you can live a fulfilling life without the pursuit of cash!
Ten best ways to escape the rat race in 2022!
So how can one quit the rat race once and for all? Here is a guide that you would want to bookmark for the rest of your life. Let’s get started!
1. Take a break
You need to take a break from the rat race to structure what you have been doing all these years and what made you end up in the rat race.
This is the shock you need to snap your mind out of the present routine that you are accustomed to following. We recommend going somewhere quieter. Once you are in the right frame of mind, begin with defining your dream life. You need to work out what you really want from life. Get specific.
2. Realize your self-worth
Most of us fail to give ourselves enough time to realize our self-worth. The rat race doesn’t help either. It just makes us disappear into the crowd and significantly damages our sense of making better career-related decisions.
We suggest you pen down things that you are good at and things that you need to improve to live a better life. You need to fire up your confidence levels before you quit the rat race. Realizing that you are valuable is a critical step to reaching your life goals.
3. Know your ‘why’
Why do you want to quit the rat race?
To find that out, we recommend you pen down everything that you hate about being in the rat race. It can be anything — a toxic work environment, the commute, low pay, or something else. Pen down the things that make you raging mad.
Most importantly, write down how your life could be better if you quit the rat race once and for all. Indeed, anger and frustration will motivate you to make a way out. But, you have got to deal with the situation smartly.
4. Stop making foolish expenses
Now that you have a why, it’s time to take action to fulfill it.
You have to quickly go into money-saving mode. Why? Once you quit the race, the ‘paycheck comfort’ will no longer serve you.
So, start by making a conscious decision not to buy things you don’t need. Aggressively cut down on your expenses by focusing only on what you need. Track your expenses over a month and always find out ways you can reduce your expenses.
This is the perfect tactic to save more money in the long term and live life the way you want.
5. Begin to own assets
It’s better to acquire assets than to build a list of liabilities. We believe that the only way to escape the rat race for good is to acquire more and more assets.
The more assets you have, the more income you can generate without having to work much. You can start with stock investing by buying stocks when they’re affordable.
We suggest you buy condos or houses and have tenants that will pay for the mortgage each month. If possible, look out for small businesses that are on sale. Buy them while they are still profitable and sell them for a higher price. You can do the same with the properties you purchase.
6. Create a side hustle
Besides acquiring assets, you can double down on your passions to start a side hustle.
What is a side hustle? Well, it is an approach to making money where you spend time working on something that will guarantee an income in the coming years.
There are several side hustles you can choose from — programming, writing, graphic designing, affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, and more. Side hustles like dropshipping or blogging help generate passive income.
7. Make good investments
Invest your money to perfection. Escaping the rat race will only be a dream if you don’t invest your money right, i.e., investments that will keep making more and more money for you. But before you do that, make sure you don’t dip into your savings.
That money will grow through the magic of compound interest. Invest your money in stocks, properties, and businesses. When investing, always start small because you will go through a learning curve. Make an educational commitment before doubling down on making a financial commitment.
8. Start saving money
This is simple, yet challenging.
If you have been living paycheck to paycheck, saving money will be quite difficult. However, you will have to make a mindset shift and start saving a significant chunk of that paycheck.
You have already reduced your expenses. Now, you can easily put a considerable percentage of your paycheck in your savings account and NOT TOUCH IT EVER! You should have at least six months of savings in case you lose your job.
9. Start a business
Consider entrepreneurship as an alternative to your 9-5 job. Conduct extensive research to figure out the kind of business you can start with the available resources and create a business plan.
The business doesn’t necessarily need to be a big one. You can start with a small business and scale it with time.
10. Know when to quit your job
Quitting a job comes with panic and fear of the unknown.
So, you shouldn’t be worried if that happens to you too! To mitigate that feeling, we highly recommend that you plan your escape.
The moment you quit your job, you will lose a sense of security. So, make sure you have a solid financial situation to support the escape. Once you are all set, hang your boots and begin your new life as a free individual with big goals and dreams.
Final remarks!
Indeed, being a part of the rat race has its own benefits.
The comfort of a recurring paycheck and financial security does add value to your life. But sooner or later, you realize that it was all a facade that kept you from reaching your true potential.
Not just that, the ‘ugly face’ of the rat race rises when thousands of people are laid off from their jobs in times of crisis. Moreover, advanced automation technologies have shown how easy it is to replace humans in a workplace!
To sum things up, the rat race is not a safe place to be in 2022, or ever. Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments. Also, don’t forget to check out other informative posts on the blog!
